Golf club



J. FERIE GOLF CLUB Oct. 4, 1938.

Filed June 19, 1957 WE.Z

Patented Oct. 4, 1938 man UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEQE GOLF CLUB John Pirie, Lynbrook, N. Y.

Application June 19, 1937, Serial No. 149,071

10 Claims.

My invention relates to-golf clubs and more particularly to a putter.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a golf club having a head and a shaft of any suitable type, said shaft being connected to a hand-hold member, the shaft and the hand-hold memberbeing connected so as to permit rela tive movement between the same.

Another object of my invention is to provide a golf club having a hand-hold'portion connected to the shaft of the club as above stated and to which the shaft is connected so that the shaft can .turn like a pendulum relative to said handhold portion to strike the ball with the striking face of the head, while said hand-hold portion is held stationary.

Another object of the invention is to provide a golf club having a hand-hold portion connected to its shaft so as torpermit relative movement between the same, said hand-hold portion being of sufiicient length to enable it tobe gripped conveniently by the one hand of the player, such as the left4 hand, so that one hand of the player can be kept stationary or substantially stationary while the other hand of the player turns the shaft of the club in a true pendulum striking movement, relative to the stationary hand-hold portion. v

Other objects of my invention will be set forth 3Q in the following description and drawing which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, it being understood thattheabove statement of the objects of Ymy invention is intended generally to explain the same without limiting it in any manner.

Fig. l is a front elevation of an improved putter, which is made according to the invention. The `full-line position of the club indicates the completion of the swinging movement. The broken-line positions respectively illustrate .the start Yof the swing, and the position of the club when it rst contacts with the ball.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the upper part of the shaft, partially in vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the inclina* tion between the shaft of the club and the handhold, when the hand-hold is held so that the shaft and the head of the club depend freely from the hand-hold. This'gure shows that the connection between. the shaft of the club and the member which is connected to the top of the shaft-is more easily bendable than said shaft.

It has been well known for many years that in certain types of golf strokes, it is desirable to swing the shaft of a club like a pendulum in a direction perpendicular to the striking face of the head of the club, so that the head of the club swings during the stroke through a true arc, without being deflected from'this arc and without any twisting or turning movement of the shaft about its axis.

Golf clubs have yhitherto been made with integral shafts which have only slight flexibility so that when the stroke was made, the left hand and the right hand of the player had to turn in unison. For convenience, the club is described as used by a right-handed player, although it can be used by a left-handed player. Many players have found it extremely difficult, in using the standard putter, to swing the head of the club through a true arc, because the left hand of the player hindered the desired swinging movement.

In many cases the left hand of the player deected the head from the desired arc of movement, or else the left hand of the player caused the shaft to turn more or less about its axis, while the stroke was being made.

According to this invention, it is possible to hold the left hand perfectly stationary, so that the entire pendulum-like movement of the shaft of the club is accomplished solely by the right hand of the player.

The improved club has a head H and a shaft I which may be of any suitable design, depending upon the type of club or the like. The club is also provided with a top hand-hold which includes the member 6. While I have shown the use of a hand-hold 4which is located above the shaft, the invention is not to be limited to this relation. In this embodiment, the member 6 ts tightly within the upper part of a tube 4 which can be made of any flexible or resilient material, such as rubber, leather or the like.

The inner end of the plug 6 is preferably spaced from the upper end of the shaft l, although this spacing is not absolutely necessary, as long as the shaft can move relative to the hand-hold.

The head 1 of the plug 6 preferably abuts the end wall of the tube 4 and it may be held thereto by a suitable adhesive or other securing means.

The shaft l may be of` any desired shape, but its upper end-portion preferably includes a shaftportion 2 which is of greater width or diameter than the adjacent upper and lower shaft-portions 3 and v3u. The shaft portion 3a fits snugly in the tube 4 and said shaft-portion 3a may be connected to the inner surface of the tube d by means of any suitable adhesive. The connection between the tube 4 and the shaft I preferably includes cord or wire 5, which is wound in the usual helical form.

The turns of the wire or cord 5, at the top and bottom thereof, may have a very small pitch, and the intermediate turns may have a relatively large pitch, as shown in Fig. 2.

The lower part ofthe outer wall of tube 4 may have a tapered or conical shape, as Shown in Fig. 2.

The relatively wide or bulgy shaft-portion 2 causes the inner wall of the tube 4 to be spaced slightly from the shaft-portion 3, so as to facilitate the desired relative movement between the shaft and the hand-hold.

In addition, as seen in Fig. 2, the diameter of the upper shaft portion 3 may be slightly smaller than that of the lower shaft-portion 3a or it may be tapered so as to further insure the desired relative movement whereby the bulgy shaft-portion 2 could be eliminated. However, the bulge is desirable as facilitating a firm grasp by the right hand.

The tube 4 may be made of material which is flexible or bendable, without having any sub-- stantial resilience. However, I prefer to make the tube 4 of. resilient rubber or the like, so that the top poriion of the tube 4, above the top of the shaft I, is held yieldably by its resilience in a predetermined position relative to the shaft I. A part of the tube 4 forms the outer wall of the hand-hold, in this embodiment, and another part of said tube 4 forms the connection between the hand-hold and the shaft. In this predetermined position, of the hand-hold, said hand-hold may be aligned with the shaft I, or said hand-hold portion may be inclined to the shaft I. Said hand-hold may be normally straight or curved, or have any shape.

If the resilience of tube 4 causes the hand-hold to be normally inclined to the shaft, the axis of the shaft and the axis of the hand-hold are preferably in a plane which is substantially parallel to the striking face of the head H.

The length of the plug 5 is preferably sufllcient to accommodate the full grip of the left hand of the player so that the left hand of the player does not actuate the shaft of. the club in its pendulum movement. However, this may be varied so as to suit individual players and the invention is not restricted to any particular dimensions or proportions of the parts. Hence, whenever I refer to a hand-hold in the description or claims, I include a device which is supplemental to the main shaft of the club and which can be bent relative to said main shaft by less force than is required to bend the main shaft itself. Likewise the term hand-hold includes a supplemental member whose length is sufficient to accommodate the grip of one or more fingers of the hand of the player and the invention is not restricted to a hand-hold of sufficient length to take the grip of the full hand of. the player.

In utilizing a putter made according tothe invention, the tophand-hold portion is held in the left hand while the shaft is free to turn like a pendulum relative to said stationary hand-hold portion. Ordinarily the hand-hold is held inclined to the shaft, while the stroke is being made, although the hand-hold portion may'then be wholly or substantially aligned with the shaft of the club. K

The right hand of the player then imparts the desired pendulum motion to the shaft of the putter, so as to strike the ball B.

While I have shown one type of golf club in which the shaft of the club can be moved relative to a hand-hold, the invention is broadly new and it includes every type of, connection between the hand-hold and the shaft, and every type of handhold and shaft,

The shaft has a universal movement relative to the hand-hold. All types of connections for securing said universal movement can be substituted for the connection between the handhold and the shaft, without departing from the invention. Said connecting means may be integral or non-integral with the hand-hold. The connecting means may permit only a swinging movement of the shaft relative to the hand-hold, in a single plane, without departing from the invention. 'I'he springy rubber which forms part of the hand-hold and the connecting means between the hand-hold and the shaft, may be replaced by a springy or a resilient metal construction, including a helical metal spring. The plug I5 may be omitted, and numerous other changes and modifications can be made, without departing from the invention.

1. A golf club having a shaft and a head, and a hand-hold connected to said shaft by connecting means which are sufficiently flexible to permit the shaft to swing freely and in a pendulum-like movement relative to said hand-hold, and in a direction perpendicular to the striking face of saidhead, in making a stroke'.

2. A golf club having a shaft and a head, and a hand-hold connected to said shaft by connecting means, which are sufficiently flexible to permit the hand-hold to swing relative to said shaft in all directions and also to permit the shaft to have a swinging pendulum-like movement relative to said hand-hold, and in a direction perpendicular to the striking face of said head.

3. A golf club having a shaft and a head, and a hand-hold located above the top of the shaft and connected to said shaft by connecting means, which are sufficiently resilient to yieldably hold the shaft and the hand-hold in a normal predetermined relative position, and said connecting means being suiliciently yieldable to permit one hand of the player to move the shaft in a direction perpendicular to the striking face of said head relative to the hand-hold in making a stroke.

4. A golf club having a shaft and a head, and a hand-hold located above the top of the shaft and connected to said shaft by connecting means which include a bendable hollow member in which the upper end of the shaft is located, Said connecting means being sufficiently bendable to permit one hand of the player to freely swing the shaft relative to the hand-hold and in a direction perpendicular to the striking face of said head, in making a stroke.

5. A golf club comprising a shaft to, which a head is connected, a resilient hollow member having the upper end of the shaft located therein and connected thereto, said member extending sufliciently above the top of the shaft to provide a hand-hold independent of the shaft, said vhollow member being sufficiently flexible to allow the shaft to swing freely relative to said hollow member in a direction perpendicular to the striking face of said head.

6. A golf club comprising a shaft and a head and a member connected to the top-portion of the shaft, said member extending sufliciently above the top of theshaft to provide a hand-hold independent of the shaft, said member being Cil yieldable, so that the shaft can turn in a pendulum-like movement relative to said member, in a direction perpendicular to the striking face of the head.

7. A golf club having a shaft to which a head is connected, a hand-hold located above the top of' said shaft and connected to said shaft, and bendable hollow flexible means connecting said shaft and said hand-hold, said hand-hold including a rigid member which is supported by and enclosed in said hollow means, said hollow means being sufiiciently flexible to allow the shaft to swing freely relative to the hand-hold in a direction perpendicular to the striking face of the head.

8. A golf club having a shaft to which a head is connected, a hand-hold located above the top of said shaft and ilexible hollow means connecting said shaft and said hand-hold, the diameter of the upperl end of said shaft being smaller than the inside diameter of the adjacent part of said hollow means, whereby said upper end of said shaft is spaced from the adjacent part of the inner wall of said hollow means, said hollow means being suiiciently flexible to allow the shaft to swing relative to the hand-hold in a direction perpendicular to the striking face of the head.

9. A golf club having a shaft and head, and a member connected to said shaft by connecting means which are suiciently flexible to permit a free swinging movement of said shaft and head relative to said member and in a direction perpendicular to the striking face of said head, in making a stroke.

10. A golf club having a shaft, a sleeve-like member made of resilient rubber which is bendable in all directions, the upper end of said shaft being located in said sleeve-like member, and said s1eeve-like member being connected to the upper end of said shaft, and a hand-hold member located in said sleeve-like member above the top end of said shaft, the bottom end of said handhold member being spaced from the top end of said shaft, said hand-hold member being attached to said sleeve-like member, said rubber being sufciently exible to enable the shaft to be turned freely relative to the hand-hold member in making a stroke.

JOHN PIRIE. 

